From Kesterpedia, the free AP English encyclopedia
Major Literary Movements in the Late 1600's to 1800
Amatory Fiction
- Genre of British literature that predates the novel. It was primarily written by women for women, and the topics of the genre were often love and romance.
-- Prominent Amatory Fiction Writers: Eliza Haywood, Delarivier Manley, and Aphra Behn
Cavalier Poets
- School of English poets that supported King Charles I during the English Civil War. The poetry was light in style.
-- Prominent Cavalier Poets: Ben Johnson Robert Herrick, Richard Lovelace, Thomas Carew, and Sir John Suckling
Metaphysical Poets
- Loose group of British lyric poets that shared an interest in metaphysical concerns and a common way of investigating them. Their style was characterized by use of wit, "metaphysical conceits", and unusual similes and metaphors.
-- Prominent Metaphysical Poets: George Chapman, John Donne, George Herbert, Andrew Marvell, and Henry Vaughan
Augustan Literature
- Style of English literature that featured the development of the novel, an exposition in satire, the transformation of drama from political satire into melodrama, and an evolution toward poetry of personal exploration.
-- Prominent Augustans: Alexander Pope and Jonathan Swift
Poetry of John Dryden
John Dryden was born in England in 1631. He eventually grew up to become the most influential English poet in his time (roughly 1650-1700). He dominated literature circles in Restoration England to the point where the era was often known as the Age of Dryden.
Dryden is famous for a number of literary devices and forms. He established the heroic couplet, the common form for English poetry. Dryden's poetry was also integral in inspiring the poets that came after him in the 18th century like Alexander Pope. Dryden is also considered one of the first authors to come up with the idea that lines should not end with prepositions.
Dryden's major achievement does not come from his exploits in emotion or detail, but his use of standard heroic stanzas and couplets to concentrate ideas into an enjoyable and natural form. Dryden tried to create the natural rhythms of speech in his poetry, and his legacy shows that he succeeded.
John Dryden
William Congreve
William Congreve was born in England in 1670. He was a playwright and poet. He met Jonathan Swift early in his life, and the two became lifelong friends.
Congreve wrote only five plays in his life which went on to become some of the most popular English plays of the Restoration. The five plays were: The Old Bachelor, The Double Dealer, Love for Love, The Mourning Bride, and The Way of the World.
Two famous lines have stemmed from The Mourning Bride have gone on to enter the English language:
"Music soothes the savage beast."
"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."
It should be noted that both of these lines are misquoted from the original text.
William Congreve
Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1667. He was a satirist, essayist, and poet. He was also known for his political activism.
Swift was very proliferous in his work, writing many poems, essays, and novels. His most famous works were Gulliver's Travels, A Modest Proposal, and A Tale of a Tub. His novels are famous for being satirical. Swift combined playful humor with harsh critiques of his targets in his novels, a reoccurring theme of his work.
Gulliver's Travels, Swift's masterpiece, is a novel that follows the protagonist, Lemuel Gulliver, on various journeys. First, he meets the the people of Lilliput, who are 1/12th his size. Then, he travels to Brobdingnag, where the people are twelve times his size. He then travels to Laputa, a flying island, whose engine was the first literary mention of something resembling a computer. Finally, he travels to the Country of Houyhnhnms, horses which rule over humans beneath them.
Many of the themes of Gulliver's Travels are reflections of Swift's dealings with politics. The book's themes explore the European government, the corrupt nature of man, and the conflict between old and new. The novel also uses symmetry in a variety of ways with each world he visits being the opposite of another. Yet, none of the places he visits are ideal, and the many flaws of each are evident.
Restoration Principles of Literature
From Kesterpedia, the free AP English encyclopedia
Major Literary Movements in the Late 1600's to 1800
Amatory Fiction- Genre of British literature that predates the novel. It was primarily written by women for women, and the topics of the genre were often love and romance.
-- Prominent Amatory Fiction Writers: Eliza Haywood, Delarivier Manley, and Aphra Behn
Cavalier Poets
- School of English poets that supported King Charles I during the English Civil War. The poetry was light in style.
-- Prominent Cavalier Poets: Ben Johnson Robert Herrick, Richard Lovelace, Thomas Carew, and Sir John Suckling
Metaphysical Poets
- Loose group of British lyric poets that shared an interest in metaphysical concerns and a common way of investigating them. Their style was characterized by use of wit, "metaphysical conceits", and unusual similes and metaphors.
-- Prominent Metaphysical Poets: George Chapman, John Donne, George Herbert, Andrew Marvell, and Henry Vaughan
Augustan Literature
- Style of English literature that featured the development of the novel, an exposition in satire, the transformation of drama from political satire into melodrama, and an evolution toward poetry of personal exploration.
-- Prominent Augustans: Alexander Pope and Jonathan Swift
Poetry of John Dryden
John Dryden was born in England in 1631. He eventually grew up to become the most influential English poet in his time (roughly 1650-1700). He dominated literature circles in Restoration England to the point where the era was often known as the Age of Dryden.Dryden is famous for a number of literary devices and forms. He established the heroic couplet, the common form for English poetry. Dryden's poetry was also integral in inspiring the poets that came after him in the 18th century like Alexander Pope. Dryden is also considered one of the first authors to come up with the idea that lines should not end with prepositions.
Dryden's major achievement does not come from his exploits in emotion or detail, but his use of standard heroic stanzas and couplets to concentrate ideas into an enjoyable and natural form. Dryden tried to create the natural rhythms of speech in his poetry, and his legacy shows that he succeeded.
William Congreve
William Congreve was born in England in 1670. He was a playwright and poet. He met Jonathan Swift early in his life, and the two became lifelong friends.Congreve wrote only five plays in his life which went on to become some of the most popular English plays of the Restoration. The five plays were: The Old Bachelor, The Double Dealer, Love for Love, The Mourning Bride, and The Way of the World.
Two famous lines have stemmed from The Mourning Bride have gone on to enter the English language:
- "Music soothes the savage beast."
- "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."
It should be noted that both of these lines are misquoted from the original text.Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1667. He was a satirist, essayist, and poet. He was also known for his political activism.Swift was very proliferous in his work, writing many poems, essays, and novels. His most famous works were Gulliver's Travels, A Modest Proposal, and A Tale of a Tub. His novels are famous for being satirical. Swift combined playful humor with harsh critiques of his targets in his novels, a reoccurring theme of his work.
Gulliver's Travels, Swift's masterpiece, is a novel that follows the protagonist, Lemuel Gulliver, on various journeys. First, he meets the the people of Lilliput, who are 1/12th his size. Then, he travels to Brobdingnag, where the people are twelve times his size. He then travels to Laputa, a flying island, whose engine was the first literary mention of something resembling a computer. Finally, he travels to the Country of Houyhnhnms, horses which rule over humans beneath them.
Many of the themes of Gulliver's Travels are reflections of Swift's dealings with politics. The book's themes explore the European government, the corrupt nature of man, and the conflict between old and new. The novel also uses symmetry in a variety of ways with each world he visits being the opposite of another. Yet, none of the places he visits are ideal, and the many flaws of each are evident.
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